Flekkefjord Line

Flekkefjord Line
Flekkefjord Station in 1908
Overview
Native name	Flekkefjordbanen
Type	Railway
System	Norwegian railway
Status	Abandoned
Termini	Sira Flekkefjord
Operation
Opened	1 November 1904
Closed	31 December 1990
Owner	Norwegian State Railways
Operator(s)	Norwegian State Railways
Character	Passenger and freight
Technical
Line length	17.1 km (10.6 mi)
Number of tracks	Single
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	No
Route map Sørland Line from Stavanger 525.56 km Egersund(1944) 11.1 m 523.66 km Slettebø(1904) 515.99 km Klungland(1904) Bjørkenes(ca. 300 m) 511.29 km Helleland(1904) Rinnan(ca. 300 m) 508.14 km Orrestad(1912) 498.15 km Ualand(1904) 491.09 km Heskestad(1904) Mehei(ca. 300 m) Drangsdalen(ca. 4 000 m) 477.24 km Moi(1904) 58.4 m 472.76 km Tronvik(1926) Heståsen(ca. 3 150 m) Sira(ca. 300 m) 468.63 km Sira(1943) 72.7 m Sørland Line to Kristiansand 0.93 km Bakkekleivi(1943) 1.94 km Sirnesmoen(1944) 2.88 km Sirnes(1904) Foråsen(ca. 550 m) Midgaren(ca. 750 m) Ravnejuvet(1 174 m) 6.61 km Regevik(1926) 8.58 km Flikkeid(1904) Flikkeid(ca. 850 m) 9.63 km Lavoll(1935) Lafjell(ca. 300 m) 11.43 km Solandsveien(1933) 12.20 km Straumlandsveien(1951) Løgan Logaåsen 14.00 km Loga(1904) 15.09 km Selura(1926) Årenes(ca. 350 m) Drangeid Trolldalen(ca. 500 m) 17.14 km Flekkefjord(1904)

The Flekkefjord Line (Norwegian: Flekkefjordbanen) is a 17.1-kilometre (10.6 mi) abandoned branch line to the Sørland Line. It ran between Sira and Flekkefjord in Vest-Agder, Norway. The only current activity on the line is tourist draisines. The station buildings along the line were designed by the architect Paul Armin Due—these have all been demolished.

The line opened in 1904 as a 64-kilometre (40 mi) extension of the narrow gauge Jæren Line. It was planned as the first step of a main line along the South Coast. At Flekkefjord, there was steam ship connection, onwards to Oslo. In 1941, the line was converted to standard gauge, and in 1944 the Sørland Line was completed. The western part of the Flekkefjord Line was integrated into it, while the remaining section became the branch line that kept the name Flekkefjord Line. During the 1940s, steam locomotive-hauled trains were replaced by railcars. Following the declining traffic, in part due to the slow speeds caused by the line's narrow profile, the line was closed, with the last trains running in 1990.

The first committee that looked into the possibility of a railway to Flekkefjord was created in 1875. After the completion of Jæren Line from Stavanger to Egersund, in 1878, proposals were made to build an extension westwards along the coast, that eventually would reach Oslo. The first part of what was named the Vestland Line was passed by Parliament in 1894, and would run from Egersund, via Sira, to Flekkefjord. The initial proposal proposed that the line would eventually continue onwards via Mandal to Kristiansand. The decision to build the line was taken by the Parliament of Norway in 1894. Construction started in 1896, and was originally planned to be completed by 1902. However, delays prevented the line from being be brought into use before 1 November 1904. The line was built by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB) and was 64 km (40 mi) long.